--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some things you did were worth…" description: "\"“Some things you did were worth regretting; others not.”\" — Richard Yates" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/richard-yates-2840_regret_some-things-you-did-were-worth-regrettin_2952177.png" --- # Some things you did were worth regretting; others not. ![“Some things you did were worth regretting; others not.” quote by Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/richard-yates-2840_regret_some-things-you-did-were-worth-regrettin_2952177.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/richard-yates-2840_regret_some-things-you-did-were-worth-regrettin_2952177.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/richard-yates-2840_regret_some-things-you-did-were-worth-regrettin_2952177.png) > ““Some things you did were worth regretting; others not.”” [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker differentiates between actions that merit regret and those that do not, urging selective reflection on past deeds. **In simple terms:** Some deeds deserve regret, others don’t. Key Takeaway Learn from regrets, let go of the rest. Themes reflection personal growth decision‑making Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - relationship choices - career moves - personal habits - life lessons Key Concepts moral evaluation emotional processing Questions to Reflect On - Which regrets truly teach? - How to balance regret with acceptance? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Did Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-worth-4060934/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Regretting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regretting/) [Things Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-did/) [Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth/) [Worth Regretting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-regretting-4454889/) ## Related quotes > [There was never a person who did anything worth doing that he did not receive more than he gave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/there-was-never-a-person-who-did-anything-worth-doing-that-he-did-not/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [There never was a person who did anything worth doing who did not receive more than he gave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/there-never-was-a-person-who-did-anything-worth-doing-who-did-not/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Always regret the things you did do, never the things you didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-koomson/always-regret-the-things-you-did-do-never-the-things-you-didn-t/) [Dorothy Koomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-koomson/) > [ \[When I die\], I will decidedly not be regretting missed opportunities for a good time. My regrets will be more along the lines of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/when-i-die-i-will-decidedly-not-be-regretting-missed-opportunities/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [Regretting the past does not prevent me from repeating it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/regretting-the-past-does-not-prevent-me-from-repeating-it/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“There are two kinds of guilt: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/there-are-two-kinds-of-guilt-the-kind-that-drowns-you-until-you-re/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [Regret for time wasted can become a power for good in the time that remains, if we will only stop the waste and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-brisbane/regret-for-time-wasted-can-become-a-power-for-good-in-the-time-that/) [Arthur Brisbane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-brisbane/) > [“We don't have to be defined by the things we did or didn't do in our past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pittacus-lore/we-don-t-have-to-be-defined-by-the-things-we-did-or-didn-t-do-in-our/) [Pittacus Lore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pittacus-lore/) > [I deserve respect for the things I did not do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/i-deserve-respect-for-the-things-i-did-not-do/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [Everything that exists in your life, does so because of two things: something you did or something you didn't do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/everything-that-exists-in-your-life-does-so-because-of-two-things/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [We don't have to be defined by the things that we did or didn't do in our past- Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pittacus-lore/we-don-t-have-to-be-defined-by-the-things-that-we-did-or-didn-t-do-in/) [Pittacus Lore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pittacus-lore/) > [People who accomplish big things did small things well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/people-who-accomplish-big-things-did-small-things-well/) [H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/) > [I was aware that the things that I did bothered people, but that only spurred me on even more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/i-was-aware-that-the-things-that-i-did-bothered-people-but-that-only/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [All of my old videos and the things I did on MTV, my old public access show - it was sort of all made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-green/all-of-my-old-videos-and-the-things-i-did-on-mtv-my-old-public-access/) [Tom Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-green/) > [Take me back to yesterday. Somewhere over there. And do the things you never did. In a time where I didn't care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/take-me-back-to-yesterday-somewhere-over-there-and-do-the-things-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Richard Yates > [“Rachel was a girl who depended on small, recurrent rituals - that was one of the things he'd come to know about her, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/rachel-was-a-girl-who-depended-on-small-recurrent-rituals-that-was/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“In the East, he then believed, a man went to college not for vocational training but in disciplined search for wisdom and beauty, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/in-the-east-he-then-believed-a-man-went-to-college-not-for-vocational/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [God knows there certainly ought to be a window around here somewhere, for all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/god-knows-there-certainly-ought-to-be-a-window-around-here-somewhere/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“And you know what else I used to love? I loved to watch you get into your car and drive away - just because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/and-you-know-what-else-i-used-to-love-i-loved-to-watch-you-get-into/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [if you don’t try at anything, you can’t fail… it takes back bone to lead the life you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/if-you-don-t-try-at-anything-you-can-t-fail-it-takes-back-bone-to/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“The movies were wonderful because they took you out of yourself, and at the same time they gave you a sense of being whole.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/the-movies-were-wonderful-because-they-took-you-out-of-yourself-and/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [Do you know what the definition of insane is? Yes. It’s the inability to relate to another human being. It’s the inability to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/do-you-know-what-the-definition-of-insane-is-yes-it-s-the-inability/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“It had been easy to decide in favor of love on Bethune Street, in favor of walking proud and naked on the grass rug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/it-had-been-easy-to-decide-in-favor-of-love-on-bethune-street-in/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [Anybody's marriage might benefit from an occasional embargo on talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/anybody-s-marriage-might-benefit-from-an-occasional-embargo-on-talk/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“Sometimes in dreams there are visions of the past. For that reason Alice Prentice had always welcomed sleep, but she suffered an insomniac's dread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/sometimes-in-dreams-there-are-visions-of-the-past-for-that-reason/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“There she was, lying on a single bed in a room so small that there wasn't even space for a chair, and the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/there-she-was-lying-on-a-single-bed-in-a-room-so-small-that-there/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“I grandi libri, come i grandi amici, devono essere condivisi.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/i-grandi-libri-come-i-grandi-amici-devono-essere-condivisi/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [People did change, and a change could be a bloom as well as a withering...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/people-did-change-and-a-change-could-be-a-bloom-as-well-as-a-withering/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [Hard work, is the best medicine yet devised for all the ills of man- and of woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/hard-work-is-the-best-medicine-yet-devised-for-all-the-ills-of-man/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“You still felt that life was passing you by? Sort of. I still had this idea that there was a whole world of marvelous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/you-still-felt-that-life-was-passing-you-by-sort-of-i-still-had-this/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) [Explore all 140 Richard Yates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) ## More Regret quotes > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never fight on the wrong side; you might win but the burden of guilt is more than a loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-salan/never-fight-on-the-wrong-side-you-might-win-but-the-burden-of-guilt/) [Lilian Salan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-salan/) > [I don't regret burning bridges. I regret that some people weren't on those bridges when I burned them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-regret-burning-bridges-i-regret-that-some-people-weren-t-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mero/i-have-no-regrets-in-my-life-i-think-that-everything-happens-to-you/) [Rita Mero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mero/) > [When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . He went to Calvary's cross, and all my guilt was charged against Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-allen-ironside/when-the-lord-jesus-christ-became-my-surety-he-went-to-calvary-s/) [Henry Allen Ironside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-allen-ironside/) > [“Even in the miserable guilt we feel over our beastlike insensitivity, the glory of God shines. If God were not gloriously desirable, why would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/even-in-the-miserable-guilt-we-feel-over-our-beastlike-insensitivity/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [“For those filled with regret, perhaps the most needful exercise of proactivity is to realize that past mistakes are also out there in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/for-those-filled-with-regret-perhaps-the-most-needful-exercise-of/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [Having no regrets is very unrealistic. Everyone has that awkward or embarrassing moment they wish they could take back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayden-hayes/having-no-regrets-is-very-unrealistic-everyone-has-that-awkward-or/) [Jayden Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayden-hayes/) > [I always had a sort of niggling regret that we didn't come do stuff in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fielding/i-always-had-a-sort-of-niggling-regret-that-we-didn-t-come-do-stuff/) [Noel Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-fielding/) > [I am not perfect by any means and ill be the first to admit I make plenty of mistakes but I wont make them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-not-perfect-by-any-means-and-ill-be-the-first-to-admit-i-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) [Browse all 9,960 Regret quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Some things you did were worth regretting; others not.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Yates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/some-things-you-did-were-worth-regretting-others-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Regret" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/some-things-you-did-were-worth-regretting-others-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/richard-yates-2840_regret_some-things-you-did-were-worth-regrettin_2952177.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/richard-yates-2840_regret_some-things-you-did-were-worth-regrettin_2952177.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/richard-yates-2840_regret_some-things-you-did-were-worth-regrettin_2952177.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Some things you did were worth regretting; others not.” — Richard Yates", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Richard Yates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Some things you did were worth...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/some-things-you-did-were-worth-regretting-others-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/some-things-you-did-were-worth-regretting-others-not/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```